BLET News
REMINDER: Get out and vote on Tuesday, November 7
Tuesday, November 7, is election day in most states. BLET members and their families are encouraged to get to the polls and make Election Day count for working families. Many of the rail safety improvements Rail Labor has secured in recent years have been on the state...
SEPTA strike vote: Request replacement ballots by November 9
Two weeks ago, the BLET National Division mailed ballots and voting instructions to members working at SEPTA regarding a strike authorization vote. The deadline for receipt of ballots is at noon Eastern time on Monday, November 20, 2023. Members who are eligible and...
BLET members take fight for a fair contract at NJ Transit to the State Senate and Assembly
Using new technology that makes it easy for BLET members and their families to send letters to government leaders, engineers in New Jersey are reaching out to their legislative representatives with messages about NJ Transit’s misplaced priorities, wasteful spending,...
Regulatory victory: BLET blocks Mexican train crews at the border
The BLET’s National Legislative Office in Washington, D.C., scored a regulatory win for BLET members last week by blocking Union Pacific’s attempt to move trains across the border into the U.S. at Laredo, Texas without stopping under certain conditions. UP...
Devita retires as Fireman & Oilers president, Pistone elevated to top office
Brother Dean Devita, President of the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, 32BJ, SEIU, announced on October 19 that he is retiring effective December 31, 2023. Brother Devita became President of the NCFO on October 1, 2020. He was one of the featured speakers...
LAST CALL: Deadline to enroll in 2024 Health FSA program is at midnight on October 31, 2023
From now until midnight on October 31, 2023, you can enroll or change your Medical or Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) benefit selections for the 2024 benefit year. Members must enroll in the Health FSA every year — FSA enrollment is not automatic each year, and...
Education & Training: Local Chairmen complete workshop
This week, the BLET National Division hosted 26 Local Chairmen for a training class at National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio. The in-depth training helped those attending to develop and enhance the skills necessary to provide the best representation...
Denson reelected Arkansas State Legislative Board Chairman
Members and guests at the Arkansas SLB's quadrennial meeting on October 11-12, 2023. Brother D.W. Denson (front row, center) thanked the numerous National Division, GCA, and SLB officers who were in attendance. ____________________________ Brother D.W. (Wayne)...
Sizemore reelected Alabama State Legislative Board Chairman
Brother Todd Sizemore, a member of BLET Division 423 (Tuscumbia, Ala.), was reelected by acclamation to his second term as Chairman of the Alabama State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting on September 13, 2023. The Alabama State Legislative Board represents...
McCann retires, Dowell elected president as Train Dispatchers conclude 34th General Assembly
Ed Dowell (center) was elected President of the ATDA during its 34th General Assembly on October 17, 2023. He is pictured here along with ATDA's Executive Board and General Counsel. _____________________ The BLET sends congratulations to Brother Ed Dowell, who was...
BLET launches strike vote for locomotive engineers at SEPTA
This morning, National President Eddie Hall announced that BLET members will conduct a strike vote at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA).
Mid-Term Meeting for NS-Northern Lines GCA
The Norfolk Southern-Northern Lines General Committee of Adjustment held its Mid-Term Meeting at BLET National Division headquarters in Independence, Ohio, on October 17-18, 2023. The GCA represents about 3,500 active and retired members. Officers from approximately...
Fatal BNSF derailment leads lawmakers to call for more rail safety measures
A truck driver was killed in this October 16 BNSF derailment in Pueblo, Colorado.Photo: Pueblo County Sheriff's Office _______________________ Rail safety laws are receiving renewed attention after a truck driver was killed in a BNSF derailment near Pueblo, Colorado,...
Tennessee: Garland reelected State Legislative Board Chairman
Brother Gregg S. Garland (pictured, left), a member of BLET Division 41 (Nashville, Tenn.), was reelected to his second term as Chairman of the Tennessee State Legislative Board at its quadrennial meeting in Nashville, Tenn., October 3-5, 2023. The Tennessee State...
Troy Martin reelected General Chairman of BNSF (former C&S, CRIP/JTD, FWD) GCA
Troy R. Martin was elected to the office of General Chairman at the BNSF (former C&S, CRIP/JTD, FWD) General Committee of Adjustment’s quadrennial meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 10, 2023. The GCA represents approximately 600 active and retired members...
BLET presses FRA for Emergency Order on excessive train length
Citing numerous recent accidents caused in part by excessively long trains, the BLET has urged the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to issue an Emergency Order establishing a maximum train length of 7,500 feet on the nation’s Class I railroads. BLET National...
BLET Safety Task Force members complete hazmat training
Front row, from left: Roberto Grajeda, BNSF (Colorado); Dan Cadogen, Keolis (Massachusetts); Ken Abell, BNSF (California); Howie Allington, BNSF (Washington); Nick Silva, BMWED; and Dewayne Dehart, Norfolk Southern (Indiana). Back row, from left: D.B. Kenner, BNSF...
Michigan: Rail safety bills gaining steam
Brother B.J. Trumble (pictured above), Chairman of the BLET’s Michigan State Legislative Board, reports that three important rail safety bills are advancing in the Michigan House of Representatives. The three bills (No. 4915, No. 4917 and No. 4918) would establish the...
Kansas becomes 10th state with two-person crew law
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly implemented an administrative rule on October 11, which mandates two-person train crews. Gov. Kelly told the Associated Press that two-person crews “will protect workers from the effects of fatigue, prevent train derailments, and reduce...
Party crashers: BLET demands new contract in the midst of NJ Transit’s birthday celebration
Members of Teamsters Joint Council 73 joined the BLET's NJ Transit rally on September 30. ________________________________ The BLET is continuing to use every legal means necessary to secure a new contract at NJ Transit. On September 30, about 150 BLET members and...
Daily Headlines
Federal grant to upgrade Empire Builder route in Montana
BNSF Railway will receive a federal grant for $14.9 million toward infrastructure improvements in and around Malta, Mont., U.S. Sen. Jon Tester announced Thursday.
Pittsburgh-Harrisburg route improvements to receive $143.6 million federal grant
Infrastructure improvements to accommodate a second daily round trip of Amtrak’s Pennsylvanian between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, Pa., will receive more than $143 million in federal funding, the state’s two U.S. senators have announced.
AAR reports rail traffic for November and the week ending December 2, 2023
For the week ending December 2, 2023, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 509,626 carloads and intermodal units, up 4.9 percent compared with the same week last year.
Now in vogue: Class I railroads buying short lines and regionals
It’s hard to say when a trend becomes a trend. But yesterday’s announcement that Canadian National will acquire the 253-mile Iowa Northern Railway suggests that short lines and regionals getting gobbled up by Class I railroads is now a thing.
NTSB recommends backup cameras for maintenance machinery as a result of fatal accident
The National Transportation Safety Board is calling for backup cameras on maintenance-of-way machinery, as well as other safety recommendations, as a result of a fatal accident involving a Norfolk Southern track gang at Reed, Pa., in December 2021.
Canada, U.S. to form task force to get locomotive emissions to net zero
The U.S. and Canadian governments plan to work together to reduce the railway sector’s greenhouse gas emissions via a task force that will explore accelerating the use of zero-emissions locomotive technologies.
NS installs new computer-aided yard operations system at Norris Yard
Norfolk Southern is installing Wabtec’s Yard Planner system at Norris Yard in Irondale, Ala., as part of an effort to improve the hump yard’s efficiency and make service more consistent.
Q&A: RRB appeals procedures
Persons claiming retirement, disability, or survivor annuities or unemployment or sickness benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) have the right to appeal unfavorable determinations on their claims.
President Biden announces $8.2 Billion in new grants for high-speed rail and pipeline of projects nationwide
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that it has awarded $8.2 billion for 10 passenger rail projects across the country while announcing corridor planning activities that will impact every region nationwide.
Labor unions urge STB to press big U.S. railroads on employment and service levels
A coalition of rail labor unions has criticized the U.S. Class I railroads’ hiring efforts, their pace of service improvements, and the industry’s safety record in a filing with the Surface Transportation Board.
